Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 287 281. Hostage
"Yes...but Your Majesty, I have worked diligently for the Great Wu and have absolutely no other intentions. If I dare to have any second thoughts, I will be struck by lightning!"

When Zhuge Jin heard Sun Quan start to mention his relationship with Zhuge Liang, he groaned in his heart, but his face still had that firm look, and he even began to swear.

"Alas, Ziyu, why do you have to be like this? You are a loyal person, and you can distinguish between public and private matters. This is obvious to all the civil and military officials. I am not the Tang of Shang or the Jie of Xia. How can I be so blind?"

Sun Quan waved his hand, looking like a wise king, and interrupted Zhuge Jin's oath. But Zhuge Jin also knew that Sun Quan must have more to say, and this was just a way of suppressing before praising.

"But, although you know, I know, and all the civil and military officials in the court know, the common people and soldiers do not know. I can silence the civil and military officials in the court, but how can I silence the people of the world?"

As expected, Sun Quan changed the topic to another direction with a "but".

"This... I am a stupid and ignorant person, and I don't know what Your Majesty means."

At this time, Zhuge Jin could only play dumb and pretend that he didn't understand what Sun Quan meant.

"This is easy. Two years ago, I was bewitched by Lu Meng and attacked Jingzhou and killed Guan Yu. I have always felt guilty about this and wanted to reconcile with Shu Han, but they were stubborn. Now that Shu Han is at the gates of the city, I hope to make Shu Han think again. After all, you and your brother are from the same mother, and I don't want to see the tragedy of brothers killing each other."

Sun Quan's eloquent speech seemed full of righteousness and self-reflection, but in fact, the meaning was very simple. If Ji Han continued to attack, Zhuge Jin might make some mistakes.

Sun Quan also knew that after Liu Bei's death, the power of the court basically fell into the hands of important ministers such as Zhuge Liang. When Liu Bei was still alive, Sun Quan liked to send Zhuge Jin as an envoy to Xichuan. It was not because Zhuge Jin was capable, but because he relied on his and Zhuge Liang's status, and Liu Bei would definitely not kill him.

Now that the disaster has come, Sun Quan thought of this again, but his idea is more extreme. That is to take Zhuge Jin's entire family as hostages. Not to mention forcing the Han army to withdraw, at least he can ensure his own life.

"This... May I ask Your Majesty, do you want me to be your envoy and negotiate with the Han army?"

Zhuge Jin felt bitter inside, but he dared not show it on his face, so he could only continue to play dumb. If Sun Quan dared to let him go to the Han army camp, he would probably find a chance to escape with his family.

"Hey, now that Ziyu is the Grand Commander of Jiangdong, how can he continue to do the work of an envoy? Isn't it a disgrace to Jiangdong? The work of an envoy... Zibu is an experienced person, so let Zibu be the envoy. Thank you, Ziyu, for leading the team to escort Zibu."

Sun Quan thought about it and chose the envoy. With all his political skills, how could he let Zhuge Jin get away? He had to find someone else to do the envoy's job.

But this would also be a risk for the envoy. What if the Han army also took the person hostage? Wouldn't Dongwu also have to be cautious?

Therefore, the selection of this envoy is also a big question. Sun Quan thought for a while and decided that important officials such as Bu Zhi and Gu Yong would not be suitable, and the others were too insignificant. Finally, he thought of Zhang Zhao, who was now semi-retired at home.

Zhang Zhao’s importance was enough, and even if the Han army went berserk and killed Zhang Zhao or put him under house arrest, Sun Quan would not feel too sad, and he could also use this to encourage the people of Jiangdong.

"The minister obeys the order."

Zhuge Jin saw that Sun Quan had already considered all the possibilities, so he could only accept it. And Sun Quan also sent someone to ask Zhang Zhao not to talk.

At the west gate of Jianye City, the Han army had already reached the top of the city wall and was about to defeat the Wu army and open the city gate, but they did not expect reinforcements from the Wu army to arrive, so they could only continue the stalemate.

The Wu and Han armies each occupied some of the city walls, and took a short rest while on guard. After fighting for a whole morning, both sides were a little tired and had to rest to recover their strength. Bao Feng, Sha Mo Ke and Deng Ai, who came up later, commanded the soldiers to take turns to rest and guard against the counterattack of the Wu army.

However, the Wu army only had 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers in the city. The civilians and servants could not play any role in such a brutal hand-to-hand combat. In addition, it was impossible to leave the other three gates completely undefended. The 5,000-man reserve force was squeezed out by Zhuge Jin.

On the city wall, the Han army was sitting on the ground to rest and recover their strength, while some other Han soldiers remained vigilant, staring at the Wu army dozens of meters away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

Suddenly there was some commotion on the Wu side, which made the Han army more alert. Many Han soldiers who had almost rested simply stood up, guarding against the Wu army's counterattack and trying to drive them off the city wall.

"Han troops in front, don't take action! This is your prime minister brother, Lord Zhuge Jin! We hope to meet with your Han army commander-in-chief!"

As several loud-voiced soldiers shouted, the Han army looked at the changes on the other side in doubt. The Wu army, which was originally crowded on the city wall, adjusted its ranks and made way. Bu Zhi and a team of soldiers "escorted" Zhuge Jin to the front, accompanied by Zhang Zhao.

"Sir, this..."

The generals of the Han army looked at Bao Feng and his men. They were just soldiers and could not make the decision on such matters.

Bao Feng squinted his eyes and saw a middle-aged man with a bitter face and an old man on the other side. Although he did not know Zhuge Jin, he knew the relationship between Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang. Moreover, Feng Xi had also specifically instructed the generals of the Jingzhou army to protect Zhuge Jin's safety.

"Don't get close. Who is the messenger? Let the messenger come over by himself. We will escort him to see the Grand Commander."

In the end, Bao Feng did not dare to act rashly. Since the other party said he wanted to see the Grand Commander, he would see what the other party was up to. The Grand Commander would deal with it once he knew.

Zhuge Jin and Zhang Zhao looked at each other, and then Zhang Zhao took a few trembling steps forward, walked through the unmanned buffer zone between the two armies, and arrived at the Han army's side.

"I am Zhang Zhao, please take me to see your army's commander-in-chief."

Zhang Zhao bowed towards Bao Feng very politely.

Bao Feng thought about it for a while and felt a little embarrassed. He didn't dare to leave now, but the matter of the envoy was of great importance and he certainly couldn't let a few soldiers handle it.

"General Bao...General Bao, please go. I...I will stay here to guard against the Wu...Wu army."

Deng Ai saw Bao Feng's hesitation and volunteered. Bao Feng knew that the Grand Commander valued Deng Ai, and although he didn't quite understand, he still agreed and asked Shamo Ke to listen to Deng Ai. He took more than ten soldiers and escorted Zhang Zhao down the wall of the city wall and returned to the Han army.

During this period, Bu Zhi seemed to be ready to make some moves, but he seemed to have thought of something and suppressed those thoughts, allowing Bao Feng and his men to leave the city through the stairs of the city wall on the side controlled by the Han army.

(End of this chapter)